Some months back, I reported that my attempts to understand cricket involved a brochure called “Cricket for Baseball Fans.” I also mentioned that, before I could understand that brochure, I’d need to see a brochure called “Baseball for Musical Theatre Lovers.”
I am pleased to report that my sister-in-law Deborah Sager has called my bluff, and written precisely that brochure. I now have no excuses for my failure to understand either baseball or cricket.
And now, without further ado, I am pleased to present a Yankee Fog world exclusive:

There have been a few scattered “For Your Consideration” screenings here in London already, but they’re now starting to come fast and furious.
This weekend alone, there are screenings of Nanny McPhee, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Wererabbit, Corpse Bride, March of the Penguins, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Batman Begins. I’ve seen Batman Begins, and don’t have any particular interest in Nanny McPhee, but I’m looking forward to seeing all the others. I’m not sure I’ll make to any of this weekend’s screenings, but there’s always next weekend… (This weekend’s “Wallace & Gromit” screening, by the way, is clearly aimed at Academy members with kids–it’s on a Sunday morning, they’re giving out four tickets per member instead of the usual two, and they’re promising an opportunity to “meet the costume characters and have your photo taken with them.”)
Of course, not every distributor can afford to rent out West End venues for multiple screenings. The distributors of Le Grand Voyage send out an e-mail reminder of two upcoming Academy screenings, adding, “We are sure you are aware of the considerable costs involved in providing free screenings to BAFTA members. As a small independent distributor, we regret that– apart from the Academy screenings above–we will be unable to offer any further free screenings to members, as the expense is simply too great.” I’m very sympathetic to this, and I plan on seeing the film at one of the two screenings.

My previous entry has gotten a huge number of hits, thanks to links from Kottke.org and Waxy.org. Along with that torrent of readership has come a number of interesting and thoughtful comments. I’m going to respond to a few of them over the next couple of days. Needless to say, my responses reflect my own views, and not those of any organization to which I might belong…
I’ll start off with the most important question from a reader named “Chess”:
Why do _you_ care about screeners? How do they affect your life in a practical way?

As I’ve mentioned before, if somebody finds Yankee Fog as the result of a Google search, I can look in my logs to see what search term they were looking for.
Somebody just found Yankee Fog by looking for the phrase “Penguin are eating at my sanity”.
Friend, I don’t know who you are, or what you were looking for, or how, exactly, your search led you to Yankee Fog. But best of luck with those penguins.

Writing in Front Page magazine, Carol Gould describes a terrifying place called England, where anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism run rampant, and ordinary shop proprietors can’t wait to burst out with a Jew-hating tirade. Lauren and I have been forwarded that article by two different concerned friends, wanting to know if it’s true. My answer is: I have no idea. I can’t speak for Ms. Gould, because I’ve never visited the England on her planet. In the England where I live, here on Earth, things are very different than she describes.

In addition to the famous column featuring Admiral Nelson, there are four plinths in Trafalgar Square. One bears a sculpture of King George the IV. Two others bear sculptures of military men who distinguished themselves through service to the British crown in India–or who embarrassed themselves through service to the British crown in India, depending on which side of history you come down on.
But the fourth plinth… well, that’s where things get complicated. When it was built in 1841, there wasn’t enough money to commission the statue that was supposed to top it off. And so it stood empty for years.